Featured Image: Evan Williams
These versatile offerings are designed for speed-hungry skiers who demand performance in a variety of snow conditions, from perfectly groomed hardpack to the soft n’ choppy stuff left over a few days after the storm. If you enjoy making large, sweeping turns in bowls full of fresh snow; plowing through chunky-snow- filled couloirs; or airing cliffs into the white room, you can count on these skis to get the job done.
Oakley Mod 5
Oakley’s premium helmet offering, the Mod 5, doesn’t skimp on a damn thing. This lid comes with a small-and large-brim option (Oakley’s Modular Brim System) enabling you to find the perfect fit with your goggle of choice. The Mod 5 utilizes a hybrid construction that combines in-mold and ABS hard shell construction for a top-notch fusion of protection and weight savings. It’s also available with MIPS to further combat rotational blows.
Shred Slam Cap Noshock
The Slam Cap NoShock is Shred’s lightweight, in-mold offering. While non-bulky in nature, the helmet is also a stalwart at protecting your cranium. Slytech’s NoShock technology—a honeycomb foam structure—is built into the helmet to disperse linear impacts and combines with Shred’s Rotational Energy System (RES). The system features eight pads that move ever so slightly with the head, in the event of a crash, to combat the effects of rotational impacts on the brain. For added comfort, Shred implemented a removable Merino wool liner that is both soft to the touch and odor combatant.
Uvex JAKK+ octo+
Uvex’s octo+ fit system is the biggest draw of this helmet. Imagine a soft, fuzzy octopus wrapping its tentacles around your dome… yes, the system’s stretchy wrap-around strap and flexible “fins” engulf your head for a perfectly adapted fit. There’s also a smidge’ of space between the EPS inner shell and octo+ system, allowing for fresh air circulation that’ll help to cool you off during periods of intense activity.
Bollé Instinct
The brand-new Instinct utilizes a unique in-mold construction: A combination of high density EPS foam and a low density EPS inner insert make up the liner, while a polycarbonate outer shell helps deflect surface dings. The result is a crazy-lightweight and low profile helmet that’s highly adept at dispersing a wide-range of impacts. Ventilation channels integrated into the interior of the helmet help to optimize airflow while a BOA closure system provides a perfect fit and cozy comfort.
Giro Ledge Mips
The Ledge is a minimalist helmet that employs a two-piece, hard-shell design and MIPS to absorb and distribute the common rotational forces endured when skiers crash. The Ledge is also customizable, allowing you to fine-tune your style: The goggle retainer can be removed from the back if you prefer an under-the-goggle fit, the fit system can also be detached to loosen things up and if ear pads aren’t your thing, you can take those out, too.
Scott Symbol 2 Plus D
The in-mold-constructed Symbol 2 Plus D employs Scott’s proprietary safety technology, D30. The D30 shock-absorbing inserts utilize a material whose molecules flow freely in open cells—which translates to softness and flexibility—during its resting state. But, when it sustains an impact, the molecules lock together and distribute force across the material and thereby away from the user’s brain. The use of MIPS, in addition, makes the Symbol 2 Plus D a trusted guard against brain trauma.
Giro Strata Mips
Think of the Strata MIPS as your standard 80-percent lean/20-percent fat ground chuck: It’s got enough meat on it—a durable hard shell upper—to satisfy the demands of a hard-charging skier, while not weighing you down, thanks to in-mold construction on the lower shell and sidewalls. Jokes aside, the Strata is also built with MIPS for added protection, has cozy fleece ear pads, an adjustable venting system and a built-in POV camera mount to aid you in documenting your adventures.
Anon Omega
Weight savings without loss of protective qualities—that’s what anon. sought to accomplish with the new Omega helmet. The in-mold build shaves grams while also working to absorb and distribute impacts via its inner foam liner and poly- carbonate outer shell. The Omega is also equipped with MIPS to further disperse forces during rotational impact situations—the most common among skiers. As for fit, a 360-degree BOA system helps the cozy fleece liner hug your head perfectly. It’s a delight, really.
Pret Corona X
Pret is debuting a sister helmet to the celebrated Cirque X—released last season—with the women’s-specific Corona
X. The helmet is built with Pret’s VTT4 venting system for optimal airflow and temperature regulation; this system entails six vents up top, plus four in the front and back, that are opened and closed via a simple flick of a switch. The helmet features MIPS and is also built with polycarbonate sheets of differing sizes, placed in strategic locations, for incredible protection without much added weight.
Sweet Protection Trooper
Like an onion, the two-piece hard shell Trooper is built with multiple layers of protection. The outer shell utilizes a thermoplastic laminated carbon fiber which is lightweight, rigid and highly-skilled at dispersing impacts. Below that, you’ll find a combination of EPS foam and composite inserts that, together, are supremely shock absorbent and hold the title of Sweet’s premium impact protection technology. The Trooper also comes in at a manageable weight of 650 grams (m/l size).
Pret Cirque X
The Cirque X is lightweight (465 grams in size medium) and packs in some serious ventilation capabilities, making it an attractive option for backcountry skiers. Its active venting system—engaged by a switch up top—features 12 total vents: six oversized vents on top, two in the brim and four in the back. Overheating, meet your doom! On the protective front, varying thicknesses of polycarbonate panels are placed in areas prone to harmful impacts, and MIPS further combats the effects of rotational impacts.
